Lever type bottle opener



June 29, 1943.

c. E. ANDERSON LEVER TYPE BOTTLE OPENER Filed Jan. 3; 1941 Ijwuontmcharzesl /lnderson/ Patented June 29, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICELEVER. TYPE BOTTLE oPE ER Charles E. Anderson, Nashville, Tenn.Application January 3, 1941, Serial Not. 373,041. Claims. (01.8l--3;4'6l

invention relates to a new and improved bottle opener of the lever type,which has been especially devised and designed with the followingobjectsin view, to wit:

Tolprovide an opener made in one piece of sheet metal, ribbed, bent, outas hereinafter described, and formed to fit over the top of a bottle capand down the side of the bottle neck; to provide an opener that isintended for use only once and can be placed on the bottle cap by thebottler or the dealer after shipment is received, or by the individualjust prior to opening the bottle; to provide an openerwhich, when placedon the cap before shipment, will not interfere with the stacking of thebottle cases one on top of another; to provide an opener which will notinterfere with the present type of crimped bottle cap, nor the placingof the same by capping letters of reference indicate like parts in allthe figures, l isabottle with a crimped cap 2 of a well known type. V

The opener which comprises my invention consists of a strip of sheetmetal of suitable strength and gauge. Thisstrip is provided with a rib 9(preferred form, Figs.- 1 to 4) or ribs 9 (second form, Fig. 5), and isbent to form a fiat top portion 3; too members 4, 4, a front fiatportion 6,

machines now in use; to provide an opener which i clamps over the cappedbottle by a downward pressure and which cannot be removed without, atthe same time, removing the cap; to provide an opener with no protrudingparts to catch on other objects when filled bottles are handled I roughlto provide an opener with a lever handle which with small force can beswung away from the bottle heck so one can get his fingers underneathbefore exerting the necessary upward pressure to remove the cap; and toprovide an opener at a cost of material and manufacture so small that a"ready market for the opener may be found.

Other objects will in part by obvious and in part be pointed outhereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends the invention stillfurther resides in the novel details of construction, combination andarrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in thefollowing detailed description, and then be particularly pointed out inthe appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Fig. l is an enlarged perspective View of a portion of a capped bottlewith the preferred embodiment of my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the opener shown inFig. 1, the bottle and cap being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the opener by itself.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of another embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modification.

In the drawing, in which like numerals and and a handle 8 terminating ina finger piece or end ll. a

v The front plate 6, in the preferred form, has two prongs I, 1 punchedin the metal to cooperate with the two toes 4, 4' (formed by cutting outa notch 5 in the metal) in holding the opener on the cap. Thetoes 4, 4and prongs or protuberances I, 1 constitute a four-point clamp which, aspractice has demonstrated, will hold the top of the openerso tight tothe cap that it cannot be removed from the same except by the use of atool. l

The .distance between atoe end and the directly opposite: prong isslightly less than the corresponding chord of the arc of the cap so thatwhen the opener is installed on the cap by a firm downward pressure aspring tension is created, thereby locking the opener to the cap. Ifdesired, the ends'of the toes 4, 4 may be formed with inwardly bentprojections II to catch under thelower edge of the cap, similarly to theprongs I, as shown in Fig.6.

In order to strengthen the device, at least one, longitudinal rib 9 isformed in the strip. This rib extends practically the full length of thestrip, as shown.

At a suitable distance below the prongs l, l the rib 9 is cross-slottedas at in, thus enabling the metal of the plate 6 at each side of theslot ID to be bendable as a hinge along the dotted line h.

In using my opener to remove the cap, one lifts lever 8 by moving thefinger piece out from the bottle neck by an outward and upward motion.The first part of the levers movement requires little effort as themetal will bend readily.

along line it until the dot and dash position in Fig. 2 is reached, atwhich time the rib ends at the slot ill will meet and constitute ahinge-stop.

Further movement imparted to the lever 8 will lift the cap from thebottle.

The opener is so designed that all available leverage action isutilized, the lever acting along substantially the entire diameter ofthe cap from prongs I, I to toes 4, 4, the fulcrum being at the toe endof the opener. Consequently, all pressure on the handle of the lever isused to remove The lifter can be used without the slot III in the rib orribs, but more efiort is required to get the cap 01f; the slot or slotsare preferred.

In the drawing I have shown two embodiments and one modification of myinvention, but I wish it understood that other variations, modificationsand changes in the details of the device can readily be made by thoseskilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of the inventionand the scope of the appended claims. What I claim is: Y 1. In a bottleopener, a thin metal strip bent to comprise a top portion to extendentirely across a bottle cap, toes projecting downwardly-from the topportion to engage theside o f-the cap, a front plate portion havingprongs to engage under the edge of the cap at the side opposite [thetoes, a handle depending from the front plate and lying along the neckof the capped bottle, and at least one longitudinal stiffening ribextending along the topportion and the front plate and handle, said ribbeing cross-slotted'at a place below the location of the prongs toprovide a bendable portion of the strip as a hinge for the purposesdescribed. 2. In combination with a crimped cap, of a cap removercomprising a body extending across the top of the'cap and down a side ofthe cap and continuing as a handle, there being toes on the bodyextending down along the opposite side of the cap to engage the side ofthe cap, there being prongs on the handle side of the body to engageunder the edge of the cap the distances between opposite toes and prongsbeing normally less than the corresponding chords of the cap wherebywhen the body is pressed down on the cap the body will spring into placeas'a permanent attach-' ment to the cap, said body having at least onesaid rib having a cross-slot below the level of the prongs thereby toprovide a bendable portion of the body between two approximately rigidportions, for purposes described.

3. In a bottle cap remover, a metal strip bent to fit over the cap alonga diameter thereof and having at least two toes extending down along aside of the cap and engaging the same, and a front plate, with at leastone prong, extending down along the opposite side of the cap with theprong located to engage under the edge of the cap and cooperate with thetoes to hold the remover in place on the cap, and a handle extendingdown from the front plate to lie alongside the neck of a bottle when thecap is in place on the same, there being a pair of ribs formedlongitudinally in the strip and extending approximately the full lengthof the strip and being provided with a cross-slot at places adjacent butbelow said prong.

4. In a bottle opener, a strip bent to comprise a rigid top portion toextend entirely across a bottle cap, at least one toe projectingdownwardly from the top portion to engage a side of the cap, a frontplate portion having at least one prong to engage under the edge of thecap at the side opposite the toe, and a handle depending from the frontplate and lying along the neck of the capped bottle, at least onelongitudinal stifiening rib extending along the top portion, the frontplate and the handle and having a cross-slot 1ocated at a place belowthe location of the prong to provide a bendable portion of the strip asa hinge for the purposes described.

- 5. In a bottle opener, an attachment for crown caps comprising a topportion extending diametrically entirely across the bottle cap, means atone end of said top portion for engaging'the side of the cap, means atthe other end of said top'portion for engaging under the edge of the topat the side diametrically opposite the place where the first mentionedmeans engages the side of the cap, a handle depending from the secondmentioned means and shaped to lie along the neck' of the capped bottleand hingedly united with said second mentioned means, and meanslongitudinal rib extending approximately the-full length of the bodyfrom the toesto the handle,

limiting the hinge movement of the handle, said first mentioned meansand saidsecond mentioned means havingprovisions for gripping the cap tohold the opener on the cap.

CHARLES E. ANDERSON.

